India, the second most populated country in the world, crosses the population mark at 1.02 billion people! (Only China has a higher population.) It seems that people are not dissuaded from having large families, even though the cost of living in India is relatively high. To an American, products from India may seem cheap, however the Indian rupee, not the dollar, is the major currency and they don’t go very far in India’s economy today.

Gasoline alone is a little more than 70 times as expensive as gas in the United States. And with the economy of India as it is, the majority of the population can’t afford a can of gas, let alone the car that goes with it. Needless to say, mass transit or “pedal power” has been the way to get around for quite some time.

Imagine, though, if there were a way for a sizeable percentage of the almost one billion people to be able to afford a car. What would that mean for the economy? The average household? Employment rates? The environment? These are some of the many issues dredged up by the introduction of the TATA Nano, an extremely cheap vehicle unveiled in India at the New Delhi Auto Expo.

Later this year, these cars will roll out of the factory ready for consumers in the mainstream Indian population. This four-door, five-seater (if you really squeeze in) hatchback is in the shape of a kidney bean, small in front and wider in back. This helps cut wind shear and allows for cheaper engines. Part of the cost-cutting measures involved questions such as: “Is it necessary to have four brake pads, or can we get by with three?” and “Do we really need [insert car part here]?” It certainly has none of the luxuries Americans seem to require such as a radio, air conditioning, or power windows and steering. However, as one Indian man put it, “it’s faster than a bicycle!” This is the sentiment many Indians may be sharing as they consider the ramifications of adding a vehicle to their household.

But they’re not the only ones considering the cost. Critics of the vehicle are concerned with its impact on the environment. They worry the car could burden already-crowded streets and add enormous amounts of air and noise pollution in the atmosphere, creating an “environmental nightmare.”

Hopefully, with projected pollution levels more than quadrupling in the next 30 years, Indian officials will consider ways to offset the impact. If India’s population continues to increase exponentially, though, that’s certainly a lot of trees to plant. Still, chairman Ratan Tata insists the Nano will release less pollution than motorcycles, meet safety standards, and pass emission standards. And at 50 miles to the gallon, few are thinking about the environmental impact, and instead see the opportunity to trade two wheels for four. But does it really matter if a car gets 50 miles to the gallon when millions of them eventually are added to the roads of India and beyond?

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Many automobile companies have spend millions of dollars each year in research and development of more efficient fuel consumption for cars. Each year more and more cars are rolled out the production plants and there is an urgent call by consumers and environmental groups to reduce the fuel consumption of automobiles.

With the increasing cost of fuel and the environmental concerns regarding harmful emissions of toxic gases into our atmosphere, automobile companies are forced to developed radically different types of cars. One of which is the hybrid car

A hybrid is powered by conventional fuel as well as uses electric energy. Hybrid cars have lower fuel consumption and are more environmentally friendly.

All hybrid cars are powered by two engines : a gasoline engine and a electric engine. Typically, they work in tandem with each other. The gasoline engine is used during starting and stopping the car. Once the car is travelling at a certain speed, the electric engine will take over automatically.

In the current market, there are 2 types of hybrid car. The first type is the series. Typically, the gasoline engine is used to start and stop the car. Once the hybrid car has attained a certain speed, the electric engine will take over. The gasoline engine is also used to charge the electric engine’s batteries. As you can see, both engines are used in tandem with each other but never together.

The second type is called the parallels. It has the same physical configuration of the series hybrid however the operation is quite different. Both the electric engine and the gasoline engine can be used to start and stop the car. The electric engine is used to boost the power of the car when required. Parallel hybrid cars are more suited for long distance travelling.

Usually, hybrid cars are built using very lightweight materials in order to reduce the load on the hybrid car when travelling. This help to save fuel by requiring less energy to move the vehicle. The tires are made more rigid than conventional vehicles with higher tire pressure to increase fuel efficiency.

In on whole, a hybrid car consumes 50 to 60 percent less fuel than a conventional car. The only obstacle is the high cost at the present moment but I am sure as consumers start to recognize the benefits of hybrid car, the prices will start falling and become more affordable.

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